The Remnants of a California Mountain Town’s Anti-Chinese History

Plaque outside Old Truckee Jail

In 2022, I wrote an article that, among other things, looked at the history of anti-Chinese violence in a town (Truckee) in the Sierras that as the home of many Chinese railroad workers who completed the transcontinental railroad in the 1800s.  Truckee is not far from Lake Tahoe and today is primarily a tourist destination.  Upon a recent visit, I noticed just how rare any indication of Truckee’s Chinese history can be found in town, which in the late 18s was about one-third Chinese.  Here are a few indications of that history.  There are not many more, 

Outside the old jail museum is a plaque summarizing the unsympathetic treatment of the Chinese.  There also is an exhibit about Chinese workers at the Donner Memorial State Park museum.   Constructed in 1878, a building that once housed a Chinese herbal store remains in the downtown.    

In identifying the first Chinese restaurant in California, Jack Chin has been influential in reminding us of our rich Chinese history in California.  As I travel throughout our state, that history now seems to jump out at me.

KJ